Legal Aid
by Acendant
Summary: Green Lantern Daredevil Crossover. Kyle Rayner is accused of murder, Matt Murdock believes his innocence and agrees to represent him in court. While Bullseye and Major Force have plans of their own
1. Marked

Legal Aid

There weren't enough days like this, Kyle Rayner thought to himself as he stretched out lazily on the grass. His sketch pad lay beside him should inspiration strike, but other than that he had no other thoughts besides relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. And he wasn't the only one; the park he had came to was full of people just enjoying the summer. A young mother pushed a pram while her baby gurgled contentedly within its carriage, A couple of old men were playing chess on a nearby bench. Kyle watched them with mild interest. Two more men strolled into view, the first was a slightly overweight individual who was babbling something or other to his companion, an athletically build red head who wore sunglasses and tapped a cane on the ground. A blind man. Both were dressed in business suits. Stockbrokers or Lawyers, Kyle figured, guys with timetables who had to be back in the office once their lunch break was over. Kyle pitied them. He worked as a freelance artist, and while the pay wasn't great it did mean that he could pick his own hours (within reason of course). Then there was his other job. On his right hand was an emerald green ring, and with this ring Kyle could do anything he could imagine. And this Green Lantern could imagine quite a bit. But he wasn't Green Lantern right now; right now he was just Kyle Rayner enjoying some well earned down time. Another figure sauntered into view. This one was unusually dressed; he was wearing a type of overcoat and a hat. Well, what he wore was his business, even if he was risking heatstroke. Something had caught the blind man's attention; he had turned his head in the direction that the weirdo had gone. His partner was cajoling him into moving but he seemed more interested in what ever it was that had disturbed him. Another man walked past the suits, a middle-aged fellow smoking a cigar. Whoever he was he looked important. Another second and Kyle recognised him. His name was Edward Barret; he was campaigning for the top chair on the local council. By the looks of things he was going to win too. Kyle said nothing, he had voted for the other guy. The blind guy looked seriously agitated. By now the other man had grabbed his arm and was trying to drag him in the direction of the offices across the road. Kyle distinctly heard the shorter man yell

"Matt, What is up with you! We can't be late today!". Barret didn't seem interested. He took another drag on his cigar, then dropped it and clutched at his chest as though he were having chest pains. Kyle went over to him.

"Excuse me Sir, are you ok?" He asked. Barret fell over. Kyle caught him straight on and lowered him gently to the ground. A small thin dagger was sticking out of his chest, blood staining his white shirt red. The woman with the baby screamed, the elderly men jumped from their chairs, forgetting about their game. Edward Barret was dead.

It's funny how time works, sometimes it drags over like it's making fun of the very idea of itself, others it flies by as if it has places to be and is scared it'll be late. Others, it manages the impossible and does both at once. The park felt like a million years ago even though the events after it flew past like a runaway train. Kyle had been arrested on suspicion for the murder of leading politician Edward Barret. The arrest and just about everything after were a blur in his memory. Before he knew it he was before a Judge at a preliminary hearing. What was even better was that there was no way Kyle could even hope to afford a halfway decent lawyer. He was running through ideas in his head, trying to find a way to work out what he was going to do. After the arrest he had called the JLA headquarters, The Watchtower, hoping that someone there knew something about courts and legal procedures. It had been Bruce Wayne, the Batman, who had answered. Right now Wayne was sat beside him and giving him a 'what are you doing' look as Kyle fidgeted nervously with his ring. By some miracle he had been able to keep it during the lead up to this.

"Your Honour, It is my belief that the defendant, Mr. Kyle Rayner, is guilty of the crimes of which he has been accused. And it is also my belief that I can prove this fact without a shadow of a doubt in a court of law". The Prosecutor was saying. A middle-aged man dressed to sharply that Kyle could feel it from where he was sat. Kyle had already explained the situation to Wayne, and he felt that there was more than a mere shadow of a doubt. He had already agreed to post bail, and it went without saying that he would be doing some investigating of his own later. The Judge spoke.

"The defendant will be bound over for a Grand Jury hearing. Mr. Wayne has already agreed to post bail, now to the subject of legal aid. Mr. Rayner, if you cannot afford a lawyer one will be..."

"That won't be necessary, Your Honour" These words had been on the verge of coming from Wayne's lips when someone beat him to it. The blind man from the park stood at the door. His cane in one hand and a leather briefcase in the other.

"Murdock, I should've known" Kyle spotted the prosecutor mutter to himself.

"I have every reason to believe Mr. Rayner is innocent. I'd like to represent him" Murdock approached the stand.

"Your Honour, Mr. Murdock was there at the scene. That should be enough to..."

"To what? I don't see how where I was affects my ability to represent Mr. Rayner fairly"

"Very well, but your making a mistake Murdock, The eyewitnesses, the murder weapon. All the evidence points to an open and shut case"

"So you intend to make an example of him to further your own career?"

"Councillors, you are reminded that this is a court of law and that it is not interested in personal disputes. I see no reason why Mr. Murdock shouldn't be able to represent Mr. Rayner" the Judge interrupted the warring lawyers.

"Thank you Your Honour" Mr. Murdock said

"The Grand Jury will convene on the nineteenth. Until such time the defendant is remanded to the recognisance of Mr. Bruce Wayne..." The Judge read out the requirements. Outside, once everything was done, the formal introductions were made.

"My name is Matthew Murdock, of Nelson and Murdock..." The lawyer began.

"Nelson and Murdock, I've heard of you. They say you've never lost a case" Wayne said as the overweight lawyer from the park caught up with them. This would probably be Mr. Nelson.

"That's true Mr. Wayne. My partner and I are proud of our record" said Murdock

"In that case I'm honoured that you are willing to take my friends case" Wayne said as he shook hands. Then he left Kyle with the lawyers.

"So, Mr. Murdock..." Kyle began

"Please, call me Matt. And this is Mr. Franklin Nelson, or Foggy, as he's better known"

"Nice to meet you". Foggy seemed distracted.

"Matt, was that Bruce Wayne? The mega gazillionare who owns Wayne Industries? THE Bruce Wayne?" He seemed to dance.

"Err... Yeah, it was" Matt adjusted his glasses

"I love you Matt! We're gonna be rich!" Foggy was glowing. He left to make a phone call. That left just Matt and Kyle. Something was bugging Matt, there seemed to be something very strange coming from the young man's right hand. Since Matt had been blinded in an accident in his youth his remaining senses functioned with superhuman sharpness. He couldn't see, but his ears were so sensitive that he could hear a whisper ten blocks away, his sense of smell put bloodhounds to shame, he could 'read' a normal newspaper by feeling the impressions on the surface and he could tell you the exact number of grains of salt were on a pretzel. Matt's sense of hearing gave off a kind of 'radar sense'. This was like complete 360 degree awareness in every direction for as far has he could hear. And something in Kyle's right hand was throwing his radar off. The faint sound picked up on Matt's radar like a blind patch. Whatever it was, Matt couldn't 'see' it. As they walked, discussing Kyle's case, Matt pretended to stumble and dropped his cane. Kyle picked it up. Matt heard a small clinking as a ring touched against the cane. Matt wondered what that meant.

Meanwhile, in a small, nondescript office building owned by the government, two men approached a small, plain office. The first wore a plain, nondescript suit; the second was somewhat more colourful. They entered the office to find that it had been broken into. The man was still there. He wore a black and white costume and was sat behind the desk propping his feet up. In one hand he held a newspaper that he seemed to be reading, in the other he was calmly flicking a coin.

"Who are you?" Said the first man.

"Word is that you're looking for the man who offed old Barret. Here I am" The intruder said all this without looking up from his paper. The larger of the two nodded to his companion, who drew a gun. The man in the black and white costume flicked the coin again, straight at the gun wielder. He choked, then slumped over. The assassin put down the paper.

"Now, who the hell are you and why are you so interested in my business".

The larger man, dressed in form fitting purple and orange, gave the fallen officer a disdainful look.

"You may call me Major Force, and I'm interested in your business because you implicated a young man by the name of Kyle Rayner" He spoke.

"And you want your friend out of trouble" the assassin laughed.

"You misunderstand, I want Rayner dead. But he didn't kill Barret, so he will be found innocent. That can't happen"

Major Force eh? I've heard of you. They say you're a nigh on indestructible, murderous bastard with all the morals of a dead dog. My kinda guy. You want me to take out Rayner for you?"

"Yes and there's something else. He wears a ring on his right hand. I want it"

"Souvenir? You didn't seem the sentimental type"

"And you are?" Major Force folded his arms. Arms that were as thick around as the intruders waist. If that troubled him he didn't show it.

"The name's Bullseye, and I'm not doing this for free"

"What did you have in mind, Mr. Bullseye"

"Mr is what you call old men who can't remember why they're still alive. I was thinking, I kill Rayner for you, you kill someone for me. We trade murders, sound fair?"

"Fair enough. You kill Rayner and give me his ring. Who do I kill in return?"

Bullseye picked up his paper again. He turned it to a specific page and folded it out before throwing it down onto the desk. On it was a picture of a vigilante clad in red, with devil horns on his forehead. Bullseye spoke.

"I kill Rayner for you, and you get his ring. All you have to do for me is kill this man. Daredevil"


	2. Suspicions

It was dark, the masked vigilante known as Daredevil preferred it that way. After finishing looking up some files that he thought would help Kyle in court Matt had eye. The problem was proving it. Bullseye was notorious for covering his tracks so well it often took months before his involvement was ever suspected. If Matt hadn't been there when it happened he would have believed Rayner guilty. What he needed was some good, solid evidence that Bullseye had been there at the time. It was a nice theory but it was proving difficult. The police cordons were still in place; and there was always the possibility that the forensic teams had already took everything useful. That didn't deter Matt, afteed was some good, solid evidence that Bullseye had been there at the time. It was a nice theory but it was proving difficult. The police cordons were still in place; and there was always the possibility that the forensic teams had already took everything useful. That didn't deter Matt, after all, he saw the world an entirely different way. Using his radar sense to keep him informed of the guards' whereabouts he made it to the scene undetected. Daredevil could smell where the chalk outline was. Using that as a point of reference he worked backwards, first to where Kyle had been lying, then to the place Bullseye must have been standing. Nothing, either he hadn't been there long enough to leave anything or the police had already found it. It had been worth the try anyway. For a moment he considered his options when something grabbed his attention. Blind patches on his radar, almost like the one he had detected around Kyle's hand. This one was much larger, as if all the sound near it was being sucked into it leaving nothing but void. Whatever it was it was coming this way. Matt leapt into the branches of a nearby tree. The sound came back and the figure of a man emerged, the area of anti-sound seemed to follow him as he moved, obscuring Daredevil's radar enough so that he couldn't make out any features. Matt couldn't even hear his breathing. He searched the area, the same way that Matt had done before and also finding nothing. The figure sighed, a deliberate noise that Matt could hear, before the anti-sound area spread around him and he took to the air. The Man Without Fear dropped from his position amongst the branches and wondered what had just happened.

The alarm clock read 6:17am when the phone rang, jolting Kyle out of bed. Groggily he picked it up and answered.

"Hello"

"Hi, is this the residence of a Mr. Kyle Rayner?" Said a male voice

"Yes, yes it is" Kyle woke up fully, this probably had something to do with the court case. He didn't want to miss a beat on this. It was way too big to risk any kind of screw up.

"Be seeing you" said the man before hanging up.

Kyle looked at the phone in his hand dumbly; wondering just what that had been about.

'Nelson and Murdock' ran business out of a storefront office. This was where Kyle Rayner was headed. Matt wouldn't say why but he was convinced of Kyle's innocence, Foggy couldn't have cared whether he was guilty or not since Bruce had agreed to help out. Honestly, you could see Foggy's eye's light up every time Kyle so much as mentioned the case. He walked through the door expecting to have to ask directions to a top floor office, If Murdock was as good as he had been told he would have something like that. So it surprised him when he saw the layout.

"I know, it's terrible isn't it. You know Matt, after this we could afford to spruce the place up a bit. What do you say?" Foggy called from his desk.

"It's not what I was expecting, that's for sure!" Said Kyle. The office had more in common with a private library than anything else. You walked in off the street and everything was just in one room. That included all the reference material they had, their desks, the secretary and various gifts from grateful clients. It was tiny.

"There is nothing wrong with our office!" Matt protested from his chair. Foggy scoffed.

"I know what this is, we get a new office and you've gotta spend your time memorising your way around. Am I right?" Matt smiled slightly. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses now. Kyle could see his eyes properly now. They were blue, albeit clouded over, and they floated weirdly in his head as if they had nothing to focus on. Foggy was used to them. He went back to his paper. Kyle found a chair by Matt's desk that wasn't overrun.

"So, before we start, is there anything you'd like to know about?" Matt asked.

"There is something, it doesn't have anything to do with my case but it's been bothering me. I got a crank call this morning, and the weird part is, the guy asked for me by name" Kyle explained

"That is weird"

"Hey guys, listen to this, it says here that there's a guy who claims that he can tell everything about you just by touching your hand, is that insane or what?" Foggy piped up, Matt shook his head

"I thought you said you were going to stop reading those pages"

"You're right Matt, I did. Let's talk about something else, Kyle, I see you're a Green Lantern fan" Foggy indicated towards Kyle's ring.

"I always thought that being a lawyer was a tough job" Kyle said sarcastically

"Funny, what about you Matt, who's you're favourite superhero?" Foggy clearly wasn't put off.

"Its not like we have any cases to prepare for, is it Foggy?" Matt replied dryly. Kyle smirked.

"I kinda like this guy here" Foggy threw the paper over. Kyle moved to catch it, but missed. Matt reached a hand out, almost casually, and snatched the falling paper out of the air before it had time to fall apart. He even kept Foggy's page.

"How did you do that? I thought you were blind!" Kyle was astonished.

"That's gratitude, some people have no respect for the handicapped!" Mocked Foggy

"Sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's ok; I get that all the time" Said Matt with a smile.

Never the less, Kyle kept a close eye on Matt after that, and that wasn't the only thing he noticed. For a blind man Matt was incredibly confident, even in places that he had never been before. Kyle watched him as they walked to a deli that he knew. Matt had wanted to get out of the office for a while. Maybe it was just Kyle's imagination. He had never known anyone who was blind before. But every time he expected Matt to find something difficult because of his handicap Matt amazed him by breezing through, sometimes even picking up on things that Kyle had missed himself. Foggy was used to it by now, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Kyle wasn't the only one who was noticing things. The dark patch of anti-sound was back on Matt's radar, over Kyle's hand. Foggy had called him a Green Lantern fan; Matt had asked later what Foggy had meant by that. Foggy told him about Kyle's ring. He thought about the figure he had seen during the night, the black holes in his radar had been huge then, not tiny like the one that followed Kyle around. An imitation ring wouldn't make the same disturbance as the real thing, to Matt that meant two things. Either Green Lantern had taken an interest in Kyle Rayner, or Kyle Rayner was Green Lantern. Matt kept his thoughts to himself.

"Hey! I've just realised something. Rayner, Murdock, they're both Irish names, aren't they?" Foggy was saying when Matt realised that they were being followed. The same man had been stood outside the office when they had left, He could tell. The man was stood a couple of metres behind them, pretending to be interested in a newspaper vendor. Foggy continued his ramble. Matt was fine with that, it kept a constant stream of sound around him and prevented random noises from screwing up his radar. The stranger paid for a paper then walked towards them, calm as a day. He was concealing something in the paper but Matt couldn't tell what. He was getting closer, moving to push past them. Matt couldn't risk it, for the second time since meeting Kyle he faked a trip. This time putting his cane between Kyle and the newspaper. He picked up the distinct smell of metal as a long thin object slid between the pages and bounced off the cane, it had been in motion from the second that the assassin had come close. A knife. The assassin walked off, cursing under his breath. Foggy never broke his chain of talk once, he hadn't noticed a thing.

But what Matt didn't know was that Kyle had seen the knife, and the fake trip. He had seen everything.


	3. Informed Desicions

A few notes on continuity. I'm a relative newcomer to the Green Lantern storyline so at the time I wrote this I didn't know all the facts about John Stewart. I've tried to correct it as best as I can but there may still be a few mistakes. So please just bear with me on this and try to take it as it comes. Sorry.

* * *

After leaving Matt and Foggy at the office later that day Kyle went straight to one of the few people who he knew that he could trust with this. John Stewart had once worn the ring of the Green Lantern Corps, and had recently begun wearing it again. Kyle considered him to be one of his closest friends. Since the attack that Matt had stopped he had been acting a little cagey, and he was sure that Matt picked up on it.

"Honestly, he must be psychic or something! I don't know how else he could have known!" Kyle was saying after hastily explaining the events of the past few days

"Kyle, slow down! So far you've told me that you've been framed for murder, someone is trying to kill you and you lawyer can see the future." John tried to summarise Kyle's ramblings.

"He stopped the knife with his cane, I've heard of dumb luck but that's cutting it a little fine don't you think?"

"All I'm saying is that there are other possibilities. Could he not have seen the knife man?"

"John, he's blind!"

"That doesn't mean the man is psychic, next you'll be saying he's Captain America or Daredevil!"

"Daredevil?"

"Urban legend, you know, like Big Foot or the alligators in the sewers, or Batman"

"Who's Batman?" Kyle joked. John didn't justify it with an answer.

"All right, I get the picture, I'm rushing. Sorry."

John smirked a little. Kyle just scowled, making John laugh even more.

"Batman's real, so this Daredevil guy stands a good chance. But even if he isn't there is something going on with Matt Murdock. There is no way he could have known" Kyle reasoned.

"So you want me to keep an eye on him?"

"If its not too much trouble"

"Consider it done"

-

Bullseye leaned casually against a lamppost opposite Kyle's home, eating Chinese take out with a pair of chopsticks. After the mess earlier he had decided to keep tabs on the comings and goings of the Rayner household. So far all he had seen had been a blond kid and a few of his friends. Suddenly he was aware of movement behind him. He flicked out the hand that was holding the chopsticks; one flew from his grasp and embedded itself in the throat of the man in the government suit who was trying to creep up on him. The second bounced of the wall before lodging itself between the base of his partner's skull and the top of the man's spine. Bullseye looked back at the carton of noodles

"Great, how am I supposed to eat this now?" He muttered to himself

"Bullseye, how many good men do I have to waste on you?"

"Let that be a lesson to you, Major, send the bad ones. Weed 'em out, that ways you get a stronger little army and you don't have to pay pensions"

"And you're just going to do this for me out of the good of your heart?" Major Force asked, looming menacingly over the smaller man.

"No, I'll do it because it's fun"

Obviously it was pointless trying to intimidate this man. Major Force had never met a person who was so arrogant, yet Bullseye's track record spoke for itself. Speaking of which,

"What was that fiasco about this morning?"

"Oh that? Testing the waters, so to speak. That man took credit for one of mine, so I'm gonna take a little special time over this one"

In other words, Force thought to himself, you messed up. Bullseye wrecked his train of thought.

"Besides, it's not like you've done anything about your part of the bargain"

"I have people working on it, so far the only lead that we have as to the Daredevil's identity is the legal team Rayner hired, Nelson and Murdock"

"How do you figure that?" Bullseye's tone dripped sarcasm

"Read the papers, much of Daredevil's activities seem to centre around the cases that those shysters take on"

"That's your plan! I have two words for you. Work harder, they don't call him the devil for nothing"

Force glowered at the assassin before walking away, only to be stopped when Bullseye called out to him

"One more thing!"

"Make it quick" he growled

"You wouldn't happen to have a fork, would you?"

-

Daredevil sat calmly on a ledge, listening to the sounds of the city. Right now he was listening for anything that might take his mind of the nagging thought that had cropped up ever since Foggy had mentioned Kyle's Green Lantern ring. Was it possible that Kyle was the Green Lantern? A freelance artist who struggled to pay rent every month? Was that really any more implausible than a blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen? Daredevil hadn't moved an inch in the past ten minutes. What are you really listening for Matt? The little voice in the back of his head asked, Those little black patches around Kyle's hand that you can't see? Or maybe the bigger black holes that would mean that Green Lantern himself was here? Then what? Confront him and say 'I know your secret'? How would that help? To be perfectly honest Matt wouldn't mind the help of another person who knew all the angles. After the second attack he was now one hundred per cent sure that Bullseye was behind it, but he still had no proof. The very least that he should do would be to tell Kyle about his suspicions. Not Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner. That way if he was Green Lantern he would be better prepared, If he wasn't then he must know who Green Lantern was and he could go to him. Confronting Green Lantern at a time like this would only inflame the situation. The odds of it all going the wrong way were far too high. His mind made up, The man without fear dived from the ledge and let himself fall for a second before drawing his Billy club from his belt and snaring a window ledge with the grappling hook at the end. The cable reeled for a few feet before tightening and Daredevil swung out over the city. Diving athletically over streets and buildings, swinging on the Billy club whenever the gap was too far to leap. His radar sense guiding him flawlessly to his destination. The office of Nelson and Murdock. Kyle would have written his address on a few of the forms in there. While Matt couldn't read as such he could feel the impressions where Kyle had pressed down with the pen.

From across the street he paused, checking that the coast was clear. Three men were stood at seemingly random points on the street, but Matt's radar picked up the concealed guns hidden under their jackets. Focusing on the office he could hear another two people inside, going through his files. It didn't seem as though they were trying to steal anything, they were just going through what was there. One took a small object form his pocket and spoke into it, a phone obviously. Daredevil eavesdropped.

"This is Agent Gerrins, we've checked the files and there's no connection to Daredevil in any of them"

Agent Gerrins listened to the speaker before hanging up, then he nodded to his colleague and the two men left. Two more from the outside also withdrew but one remained, keeping watch. That was all Matt needed. If those men were watching him going to Kyle now would add more pressure to what was already a bad situation. The edges of his radar seemed to blur as what could only be that weird anti-sound that meant that Green Lantern was in the area crept up. He was still a few streets away but he was undoubtedly headed here. When did his office turn into such a popular place to be? Daredevil ran the thoughts from earlier tonight through his mind, and decided that what he needed was a third party, someone more neutral, to do the talking. He knew just the person.

-

The night passed without incident, although Kyle did notice a very creepy man hanging around outside. He was still there and it was really starting to give Kyle the creeps. He stared restlessly at his sketchpad, unable to think straight, when the sound of someone knocking at the door brought him back to reality. Outside stood a man wearing glasses and lighting a cigarette. He took a good look at Kyle's dishevelled appearance before speaking.

"You Kyle Rayner?" He asked.

"Yeah, and you are?"

"Ben Urich, Daily Bugle" A reporter. He flashed his credentials, "You gonna invite me in or do I have to talk out here all day?"

The last thing Kyle wanted was to talk to the press. So far the newspapers had been more interested in Bruce Wayne's involvement than in him.

"Invite you? I thought it was only vampires that asked that? Although journalists are the next best thing" Kyle tried to remain neutral

"Behind lawyers you mean?"

Could Urich have meant Matt? Maybe it was just a dumb joke but it was far too close to the bone for Kyle's liking. Urich seemed to read his mind.

"I'm not here about the court case, A friend of mine knows something, and he feels that you should know it too"

"Is this about Matt Murdock?" Kyle couldn't help it, he had to know.

"It is really cold out here Mr. Rayner"

Kyle let him in. Ben glanced around before turning back to him.

"An associate of mine seems to think you've picked up some unwanted attention, and he is very rarely wrong about these kinds of things"

"What kind of attention?"

"Ever heard of a guy who calls himself Bullseye?" Ben asked, Kyle shook his head.

"And that's exactly the way he wants it to be. Bullseye is a hitman, probably one of the best around. He used to work for the Kingpin way back when"

"The Kingpin? I though he was just a myth"

"He's real enough. And my friend has it on good authority that it was Bullseye who killed the politician and that it's Bullseye who's after your head. My friend also thinks that you may know someone who can help"

"I don't get it? What's so special about this Bullseye person?"

"He's no regular assassin. I've seen a few of his victims in the morgue and they don't call him 'Bullseye' for nothing" Ben explained, tapping ash out of a window

"You mean he's a marksman? Like Green Arrow?"

"No, let's put it this way. Bullseye takes the term resourceful to a whole new level. The victims I saw he killed with paperclips, ordinary playing darts that you find in a bar and a teacup. Anything he can get his hands on he finds a way to use as a weapon"

Kyle took this all in, glancing occasionally at his ring. Thankfully he had left his power battery in a different room. Ben hadn't seen it. Having delivered his message, Ben headed to the door.

"Before you go Mr. Urich, can I ask if you know anything about Matt Murdock?"

Ben stopped, Matt had said that Kyle may ask something like this.

"Matt Murdock is one of the few people in the world who you can trust with anything, there aren't enough people like him in my opinion" With that Ben left.

-

An unmarked black car sat patiently in the street. The man who had identified himself as Agent Gerrins approached it. Inside sat Major Force.

"Sir, we have a positive lead on the Daredevil" He reported, handing Force an envelope. Inside were pictures of Daredevil and another man.

"We've identified the second man as a Mr. Ben Urich, a reporter for the Daily Bugle"

"A reporter? I think I'd like an interview" Major Force said thoughtfully, before crumpling the picture in his hand.


	4. Actions

Ben knew more than he was telling, that much was obvious to Kyle. It felt like he had rushed the conversation. Maybe this Bullseye person was after him too? Kyle took a quick glance out the window. The man that had been there before had left. Somebody had asked Ben to come here and had probably put him in danger of ending up next on Bullseye's hit list. And if he was even half as lethal as Ben had said then they were in serious trouble. Kyle made his mind up. He had asked John to keep an eye on Matt, so now he would be free to keep an eye on Ben, and if Bullseye did turn up maybe then he could get some answers.

-

It started to rain. Matt liked the rain, he liked the way every raindrop made a sound when it hit something, and the way it felt falling from the sky. Each sound showed up perfectly on his radar providing a greater depth for him to appreciate. For a moment it was as if he could see again. Matt was still in his Daredevil costume. The anti-sound that he now knew was Green Lantern had been searching around all night. First he had gone to Matt's office, then to his Brownstone. He was searching for Matt Murdock. So far he had stayed one step ahead of him, which wasn't hard considering that anti-sound was by far the most conspicuous thing that had ever been on Daredevil's radar. What was this about? Foggy wasn't expecting him at the office today. Maybe it was worth finding out.

-

Ben took a taxi home. He didn't need to head to the Daily Bugle offices for a while yet. Something had struck him as being a bit odd with that Rayner guy. To start with he'd been looking at that G.L. prop he wore like it had been the real thing, and he seemed really preoccupied with Matt. Something didn't feel right about him. Call it a hunch. Anyone else would have dismissed it out of hand but Ben Urich new better. It had been a hunch that had lead to him discovering Matt Murdock's little secret. Ben usually trusted his hunches. Maybe it was worth a little further investigation.

-

John had spent the whole night searching the city for any sign of Matt Murdock. He hadn't been at his home or his office. There was a chance that he could have gone to a girlfriend's place, if that were the case then John would have no idea where to look. Kyle hadn't mentioned anything like that to him. Or maybe Matt could see the future and knew that John was looking for him. He had seen too much in his time to dismiss the idea straight away, despite what he had said to Kyle. Another idea presented itself; the office had been called 'Nelson and Murdock'. Whoever this Nelson person was, he would know Matt. Right now that seemed like John's best chance of finding the guy. He made his mind up and turned around to head back to the office. Who knows, maybe there was a way to figure the whole thing out from there?

-

Ben Urich's home was being watched. Agents saw him arrive back. One radioed back to his superiors.

"He's here"...

-

It was raining heavily by the time Matt arrived at the office. The Green Lantern was already here, Daredevil could 'hear' him. Something seemed different about him. The strange sound that blacked out his radar was coming from outside his office, stranger still; the rain was bouncing off it as though it was glass. It could be an illusion created by the combination of rain and anti-sound, but the man at the centre of it seemed to be a different size and shape to Kyle Rayner. Could Matt have been wrong? So far he hadn't seen him, Daredevil decided to do something about that. The man without fear dived from his position and landed in the middle of the street. The man turned to face him.

"Who are you and why are you here?" He called out

"You can call me Green Lantern. I'm looking for Matthew Murdock". A defensive tone to his voice. The anti-sound prevented Matt from making out features, but the voice was definitely not that of Kyle Rayner.

"What do you want with him?"

"A good friend of mine thinks he's bad news. I'm here to find out" the man who had identified himself as Green Lantern answered. Daredevil decided to risk it.

"Does this have anything to do with a man called Kyle Rayner?" Green Lantern stayed neutral but the tone of his voice gave him away.

"Who are you? What do you know?"

"They call me Daredevil; I know what I need to know"

"Of course, everyone knows about Rayner these days, it's all over the news"

"I know that Rayner is innocent" Daredevil called out. Green Lantern took this in for a moment. When he spoke next he chose his words carefully.

"A few moments ago I thought you were nothing but an urban legend, and now you've turned up out of nowhere and told me something you shouldn't be able to know. Either you killed Barret or you know who did. Which is it?"

"The man you want is a hitman named Bullseye. He killed Barret and framed Kyle, and I now think that Kyle is next on his list for some reason" Matt prayed that Green Lantern would believe him.

"I know some people who are investigating it. If this Bulls Eye is involved why haven't they found him yet?"

"They won't. Bullseye covers his tracks too well. I've crossed paths with him too many times in the past to miss his involvement" the man nodded, at least, Matt thought he did. The blackness around him was making it hard to make out what he did. But his answer made it clear.

"Tell me everything you know"

-

Ben had turned on his computer. He intended to do some research on the Green Lantern. He knew as much as the next man did, but it was amazing what you could find if you looked in the right places. Out of habit he checked his email account before he started anything. As the screen loaded someone knocked at the door. Ben went to the door. Outside stood a man who reminded him of Schwarzenegger in his Conan the Barbarian days. He wore a purple and orange costume that clung to him like a second skin and he was smiling. It was not a nice smile.

"Hello Mr. Urich" he said as he entered the room.

"And just who do you think you are?" Ben asked. The tone of his voice said that it took more than muscles and costumes to unnerve him. The intruder smiled even wider.

"I'm told that you know someone. A man who calls himself a Daredevil. It is very important that I find him" The smile made Ben think of sharks.

"A daredevil?"

"Don't be clever Mr. Urich, you know exactly whom I mean. Now tell me what I want to know"

"You want to know this; Get out of my house or I'm calling the police. I don't spill my guts just coz you've got some muscle" Ben said sternly. The man smiled even more.

"Spill your guts, I like the sound of that" A man that size shouldn't be allowed to move as fast as the intruder did. Before Ben could blink he had been seized around the throat and lifted off his feet.

"You are going to tell me. Who is Daredevil!" Ben didn't answer. The man tossed him across the room like a rag doll.

"I'm not telling you anything you freak!" Ben yelled.

"My my my, you've certainly got a mouth on you" The man said calmly as he scooped Ben off the floor.

"Now tell me". Ben didn't answer yet again. He punched him in the stomach, making him double over.

"Tell Me!" He screamed as he kicked Ben in the ribs.

"Drop Dead!" Ben spat.

"Mr. Urich, that mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble" He picked Ben up again and threw him into a wall.

"Major Force!" The man looked around at the sound of his name as an emerald green sledgehammer smashed across his face. Kyle Rayner, Green Lantern hovered a few inches off the floor. How could Major Force be involved in this? The man was supposed to be dead.

"This is a surprise; I'll have to have words with that assassin. Bullseye was supposed to have killed you by now" Force smirked as he stood back up. "I didn't know you were friends with the reporter" Ben lay on the floor behind then. Kyle couldn't tell if he was moving.

"You hired Bullseye" it wasn't a question.

"The term, I believe, is quid pro quo. I kill Daredevil for him; he kills you for me. Obviously something went wrong somewhere along the line..." Kyle had heard enough. He flew forward, the ring constructing an armoured claw around his hand. He smacked into Force hard enough to tear a building down. Force was thrown clean through a wall. Behind him he heard Ben gasp.

"Gotta.... Tell... Matt...". Ben was alive. That changed everything. Forgetting about Force for the moment Green Lantern went over to Ben's prone form. Using the ring he lifted the injured man gently. He could hear Major Force pick himself off the floor. Kyle didn't want to leave him on the loose but Ben took priority. Moving as quick as he could without aggravating Ben's injuries he flew out the door. The best thing to do would be to get him to a hospital. But Kyle couldn't help but wonder, what did he mean when he said 'tell Matt'?


	5. Motives

Josie's Bar often attracted the type of lowlife scum that nowhere else would take. The combination of such people and any kind of alcohol was rarely a good thing; the front window had been replaced twice this month alone. At the moment things were relatively quiet, the window miraculously intact. Two regulars were playing pool on a table that had seen more repairs than actual games. The first man broke, an ugly guy whose jaw, like most things in the bar, had seen so much repair work that the original warranty was now a joke.

"Double the black?" He asked

"Turk ya dumbass, ya don't know what that means!" Said the other man

"Sure I do Grotto" Turk protested

"You heard the last two guys who played say that. All you know about pool is that ya hit the balls with the stick"

"Cue, Grotto, it's called a cue"

Grotto laughed. He loved times like this. Cold beer, Turk making a fool of himself and above all nobody to make trouble.

"Hey Grotto, check that out!" Turk nodded towards the door where a young man wearing a very smart suit had just entered. Nobody like that came into a bar like Josie's, unless he had a death wish. Turk smiled like a shark, quite an achievement for someone whose jaw has been wired shut on more that one occasion. He and Grotto sauntered over to the man.

"Hey buddy, ya looking for somethin'" Grotto smiled.

"My name is Agent Gerrins. I have reason to believe that the vigilante known as Daredevil comes here from time to time"

Turk's smile froze; he rubbed his jaw slowly. It had been Daredevil who had done the breaking. Turk had a few scores of his own to settle.

"Now why would a nice man like you be looking for the devil?" He asked nicely

"Government business" Was Gerrins reply. Turk didn't like that. He picked up a chair.

A few minutes later Turk was thrown neatly through Josie's window. Grotto followed closely behind. The rest of the drinkers decided to give the agent their respect and not try anything. Gerrins' phone rang.

"I'm following up a lead. Daredevil is reputed to use this bar as a source of information" He reported. After a few moments he hung up, then approached the bar.

"I hope that by now you know why I'm here" He said in no uncertain terms.

-

The JLA Watchtower was empty when John Stewart arrived. He had hoped to catch Batman here, Kyle had said that he had started an investigation of his own. John activated a communicator. Batman's image sprang to life on the screen.

"Green Lantern" Said Batman in a formal manner. The man was always about business.

"Batman, Kyle told me you were investigating the Barret case"

"That's right"

"Well, Kyle asked me to keep an eye on his lawyer and something interesting came up" John explained about his meeting with Daredevil and what had been said.

"Do you trust him?" Batman asked when John had finished.

"I'm not sure, if this Bullseye character is even half as bad as he told me then if I were in his shoes I'd want to give anyone else involved the heads up"

"On the other hand Daredevil could be the killer and the Bullseye story could be a cover"

"I thought of that too, but it fits. It would take a professional hired killer to even get near Barret, his security was good"

"According to the reports they didn't even realise he'd been attacked until after he was dead. This may seem like an obvious question, but if Barret's security was as good as you say how did Kyle get so close to him when he fell?" John could see the cogs turning in Batman's head. To him things were starting to make a kind of sense. John made a stab in the dark.

"You think his bodyguards were bought off?"

"Did you know that since Barret's death his opponent took the seat on the council?"

It was true; Edward Barret had been the firm favourite to win. But when he died his opponent, a man named David Healy, had made a statement expressing his condolences and taken the position.

"I'd have thought that the election would have been postponed" Argued John.

"It wasn't. Healy had no chance of a victory against Barret; his position was too strong. But if Healy hired Bullseye to assassinate Barret and bribed his security to let it happen..."

"Kyle's off the hook!" Said John

"Not so fast, first we need proof. Do you think you could track down Daredevil again?"

-

Matt had returned home. He thought briefly for a moment about changing out of his Daredevil costume. The way things had been going lately he would probably need it. He settled for a clean costume underneath his regular clothes. As he snapped his Billy club back into the shape of his cane his phone rang. Matt could find his way around his home without even thinking.

"Hi Matt, it's Foggy, have you heard the news yet?"

"No, what is it?"

"Healy took the office! You'd think he'd wait a while, as a mark of respect or something. But no, he gives a press conference and takes the job everybody knew Barret was gonna get! It stinks of an inside job to me!" Foggy ranted. Matt put two and two together. It didn't take a genius.

"What did Barret's people have to say about it?"

"Oh they complained, who wouldn't. This time last week they were set for victory"

"Foggy, do me a favour. Stick with the Healy case; let me know if anything new comes up. In the meantime I need to check in with Kyle"

"You got it buddy. Anything happens and you're the first to know, after me of course. Later" Foggy hung up. Matt barely had time to hang the phone up before it started ringing again.

"Hello?"

"Matt? It's Kyle. I'm at the hospital"

"Kyle? What happened?"

"It's not me; it's this guy. Ben Urich. He's a reporter" Kyle explained

"Kyle, slow down. Tell me everything"

"Ok, it's like this. He was following me asking about the court case and he... a truck hit him. He's been asking for you ever since we got here" Kyle lied. Matt knew he was lying, he had asked Ben to tell him about Bullseye. If Bullseye had done something to Ben he would never forgive himself.

"Stay there. I'm on my way"

-

Glass breaks easy when you throw bricks at it. Every idiot knows that. But sometimes the easy tricks were good ones. Bullseye broke into Kyle's apartment. There were pictures around the place. Not that unusual, but the girl in some of them were. She had green skin and hair, and she certainly didn't look like the She-Hulk. Bullseye picked up the picture and laughed to himself. The phone rang a few times, and then the answer phone took it. Bullseye didn't listen to Kyle's message, but the voice of a young man got his attention.

"Hello Kyle, It's Terry. Have you seen that new zombie movie yet? If not don't bother. It's not worth it, trust me! I'll let you know haw bad it is when I see you. You could use a break from all that legal stuff. Talk to ya later!" The speaker sounded like a young man. Bullseye checked the picture. It was a group shot. Kyle, the green chick, a black man who was probably older than Kyle, and a blonde kid in his late teens. An ugly grin split Bullseye's face.

"Rayner, you've just made this too easy"

-

Matt made it to the hospital in next to no time. Ben had suffered massive trauma. He was bandaged up and hooked up to more machines than Matt could make out clearly. The doctors had said that he was in no condition to see anyone. He found Kyle in the waiting area. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Kyle, I want to thank you for getting Ben here so quickly. He's an old friend of mine"

"Don't mention it" was it Matt's imagination or did Kyle seem distracted? He weighed up whatever was on his mind, then he turned to Matt.

"I have a few questions for you" There was an edge of determination in his voice, as though he had been thinking of this for quite a while. The patch of anti-sound was still around his hand. Green Lantern must still be keeping track of him. Matt nodded. Kyle sighed.

"For a start, why were you not surprised when I said that I was with Ben?"

Matt considered his options. There was really no point lying.

"I asked Ben to go see you. I suspected Bullseye was involved and I thought that you should know about him. What I didn't know was how you'd take the news from me, I thought it would be better coming from someone neutral"

"How do you know about Bullseye in the first place?"

How did Matt answer this one? Bullseye had made it his life's mission to destroy him. Matt wasn't the type of person who got close to people easily, but when he did he fell hard. Her name was Elektra, and she had been the first girl Matt had ever fallen in love with. After the death of her father she had disappeared only to turn up years later as a merciless assassin. Matt had tried to reach her but it was no good, and she had died at Bullseye's hands. A few years later he had fallen again. Her name had been Karen Page, and Bullseye had killed her too. He had heard about Elektra's 'resurrection', but it didn't change the fact that she had died in his arms.

"Because he killed someone I was very close to" He said quietly.

"I understand" Said Kyle. He thought back to when he had first gotten his ring, the ring that had turned him into Green Lantern. He had been in love with a girl called Alex deWitt, and while he had been away Major Force had murdered her. Kyle had found her body cruelly stuffed in a freezer. He knew what Matt was talking about only too well. For a moment the two men were silent, then Matt spoke.

"Ben wasn't hit by a truck, was he?"

"No, he wasn't" It was Matt's turn to sigh. Kyle thought about it for a moment.

"I have to ask, you're not psychic, are you?"

"What? No, I'm not psychic. Why?"

"Just checking"

-

In the elevator, a young orderly was busy sorting out the contents of the trolley he was pushing. He didn't pay that much attention when another man got into the elevator.

"What floor you heading for?" The man asked good naturedly.

The orderly looked up for the first time at the other man. He was tall, muscular, wearing orange and purple and smiling sharply...


	6. Confrontations

_Authours notes. Big big thanks to Superfan for pointing out a few mistakes I made with Green Lantern not hiding the battery. Let's just say he was stressed out and forgot. And I know everyone saw the BIG mistake in chapter 2. That happened when I was uploading itand I don't know how to fix it. Sorry._

_And I'm also very sorry that it took me a while to get this update. Blame writers block and teething trouble with my new pc._

* * *

Matt was lost in thought. Kyle had left a moment earlier to find a coffee machine. What was playing heavily on Matt's mind was one simple question. How had Kyle gotten Ben here so fast? There was no doubt in Matt's mind that Kyle hadn't been lying about being with Ben when he was injured. But there was definitely something he wasn't being completely honest about. Matt could always tell when someone was lying. He could hear faint changes in a persons voice, even hear any changes in their heart rate. Matt's mind wandered back to the blackness, the complete stillness that had surrounded Green Lantern when he had spoken to him outside his office, and the same anomaly that his radar sense picked up around Kyle's hand albeit in smaller amounts. The attack must have happened at the same time that he had been at the office. He could still sense Kyle even though he was a few corridors away now. The anti-sound patches marking him better than a neon sign. Anti-sound, Matt mused; Foggy had told him about Green Lantern. According to Foggy he could make anything he wanted out of green light that became solid. After realising how absurd this explanation sounded Matt was forced to wonder for a second how Foggy would have ever made it through law school without him. There would be a real explanation but it wasn't one Matt could come up with right now. Anti-sound was a term Matt had come up with to try to make sense of what his radar was showing him. The 'light' or whatever it was that was Green Lantern's power either made so little sound that it was practically still or was a type of white noise that cancelled each and every other sound that came from it out. Green Lantern himself had probably never heard the term 'Anti-sound'. Matt sat back and listened for Kyle when something caught his attention. Two nurses were talking in the next room.

"Is that really THE Ben Urich? From the Daily Bugle?"

"That's what it says on his notes, why?"

"Why? He's famous! He wrote those stories about The Kingpin, Spiderman and even Daredevil"

"You really read those things?"

"Of course! And did you hear? Becky says that it was Green Lantern that brought him here"

"Those are just rumors"

Matt ignored the rest of their conversation. He had been talking to Green Lantern when Ben had been attacked. But Kyle had been with Ben. Matt was a lawyer, he thought like a lawyer. It wasn't possible for one person to be in two places, but could there be two people, two Green Lanterns?

-

The nurse called Becky was working on reception. It was boring. Answering phones was not the reason she had became a nurse. If she had wanted to do that for a living she would have become a secretary. She was busy filling her time by sorting out some patient records when an orderly came past her, followed by a tall, muscular man wearing form fitting purple and orange. The orderly shot her a look as he went past, then the other man leaned in.

"I'm looking for Mr. Ben Urich, can you help me?" He smiled a predatory smile that showed off all of his teeth. Becky wasn't prepared to argue with a man who could smile like that.

-

Agent Gerrins had been grounded. The incident at Josie's Bar had not been looked upon favourably by his superiors. He was now confined to deskwork and had had the cost of the repair work taken out of his wages. He was currently sharing his woes with another agent on desk duty. A man named Roberts who wore huge glasses and had the most annoying voice Gerrins had ever heard. He was talking just so that he didn't have to listen to Roberts prattle.

"Hello boyo's" said a loud, arrogant voice. Gerrins looked up to see the distinctive black mask with a white target on the forehead. The grin on Bullseye's face could challenge even Major Force's razor sharp smile.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Roberts wheezed as he and Gerrins drew their guns. Bullseye shook his head. His smile never wavered once.

"Now, I'd have thought that a cushy government job like yours would pay enough for a man to afford decent glasses. Look at this" He plucked the glasses off Roberts's face. "The lenses pop right out"

Gerrins blinked. When asked later he was completely unable to say what happened. The next thing he knew was that Roberts had fallen dead behind his desk. Bullseye turned his attention to him.

"Now you look like a smart man. Let's find out how smart" He held up a picture "can you find out who these people are?"

Gerrins looked over to where Roberts's body lay. Suddenly working fast seemed like a very good idea.

-

Something was bothering Kyle. Matt had known about Bullseye, and now Major Force was involved. Did Matt know that too? No, that was just being paranoid. Ben had said that Bullseye was a mercenary; it was likely that it had been Major Force who had hired him. But then why had Force gone after Ben himself? It just didn't add up. Why would Major Force even hire a hitman in the first place? He usually preferred to do his own dirty work. Either way there had to be something about Matt. Trained killers don't usually have much to do with successful lawyers. It was always possible that Matt had been involved in some type of court case involving Bullseye but somehow Kyle doubted it. Then there was the incident with the knife to consider. After everything that had happened Kyle had almost forgotten it, but now it pushed its way to the front of his brain.

A sudden scream tore its way through the ordered calm of the hospital, shattering the stillness of the corridor. The corridor he was in was empty. Switching to Green Lantern he raced off in the direction of the screams, mentally cursing himself. He had done nothing about Major Force! He had just sped off with Ben to the hospital. It wouldn't take a genius to find them. Kyle burst into the room where he had Matt had been talking mere moments ago to find his fears confirmed. Major Force had found them and Matt Murdock was nowhere to be seen. His glasses lay on the ground.

"Well, well, you certainly aren't the sharpest tool in the box, are you?" Force smirked as he advanced, crushing Matt's glasses underfoot.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Kyle spat out the first thing that entered his head. There were too many people in the hospital to risk any kind of fight. Maybe if he could lure Force to the roof he could find a way out.

"A bit blunt, I expected better of you. I should have known that the assassin would fail. Oh well, we live and learn" Force said. That confirmed it; it was Major Force who hired Bullseye.

"What's wrong, are you getting old? Now you've got to hire someone to do your jobs for you?" Kyle taunted, trying to goad him into action. If they could just get to the roof…

"Vulgar, even by your standards" Force began. It happened quickly, for a few moments Kyle doubted that anything had happened at all. What looked like some kind of bar flew past Force's ear, rebounded off the wall right behind Kyle and shot back, catching Force square on the jaw. The behemoth staggered back a few steps, more from surprise that anything else. The club continued on its path till it was caught by a man in a crimson leather suit. His face was covered by a red mask with devil horns. He caught the stick without even looking at it.

"It looks like I'm not the only one who thinks you shouldn't be here" said the newcomer. Major Force's smile just split even wider.

"The Daredevil in person! You know, I've been looking all over for you" he said darkly. Daredevil's face remained impassive, as if Force hadn't spoken. He waited until the larger man began to move towards him, and then he dived over Major Force's head with all the grace of a cat.

"Friend of yours?" The scarlet clad man asked. Kyle shook his head.

"We've got to get him to the roof. There are too many people he can hurt here" Green Lantern was all business now. Ben had already been caught in the crossfire because he hadn't gotten his act together and Kyle would be damned if he was going to let it happen again. Daredevil seemed to pause for just a fraction of a second too long. Was that Kyle's imagination? God knew he had been under enough stress lately.

"Lure me? You intend to lure me?" Force was laughing. He reached out casually and plucked a cowering nurse from her hiding place. The young woman screamed as he held her like a toy. "Lure away, never let it be said I'm not a sporting person". And with that he turned and sauntered out nonchalantly; his hostage screaming in terror.

The two men acted without thinking. Daredevil dived at him, grabbing him around the waist. The sudden extra weight made Major Force topple over. He threw his hostage aside in order to use both arms to regain his balance. The woman screamed as she fell. Green Lantern quickly made a force field around her. She landed unscathed. A moment later Force seized the man without fear and hurled him down the corridor where he twisted athletically and landed like a cat. The purple and orange behemoth took a step towards his scarlet clad prey only to be knocked off his feet by an emerald green battering ram traveling at high speed. It pitched the brute out of a nearby window with a sound like a small explosion. The two heroes ran to the window after him. Down below it looked like nothing had happened. Major Force had disappeared. Maybe Kyle was imagining it, Major Force wasn't the type to just up and run in the middle of a fight, but from where he stood there was no sign that Force had ever been there. Beside him, Daredevil stood as still as a statue.

"After he landed he jumped into one of the ambulances" Said the Daredevil.

"You can tell where he went? What are we waiting for then! Let's go!" Kyle was practically out of the window before Daredevil stopped him.

"This isn't the time. I'm sorry but you have other things to be worrying about right now"

"Not the time? I know what this guy is like. He knows that Ben is involved in this somehow, he'll come back to finish the job!"

"And I know what Bullseye is like! If he can't get to you then he'll go after the people you're close to!"

The words sunk into both men's heads at the same time. As one they turned to look at the faces of the people who had just witnessed the event. A few doctors and nurses, and a couple of visiting relatives were watching them.

"Roof?" Asked Kyle

"Roof" Agreed Daredevil

-

A few moments later they were alone on the rooftop.

"Matt" said Kyle

"Kyle" said Matt.

"How did you know?" Kyle asked

"Well, I recognised your voice straight away. And I don't know what it is you do but it screws up my radar like crazy" Matt explained as he pulled down the Daredevil cowl.

"Radar?"

"I'll explain later, what about you. How did you know?"

"I didn't, not until you mentioned Bullseye back there. I knew that there was something but I didn't think it was like this" said Kyle as he took off his mask.

"So who was the other guy? The other Green Lantern?"

"He'd kick my ass if I gave away his secret identity" Kyle realised how weird it was to say this; John didn't even wear a mask. But then again Matt was blind, wasn't he? Kyle asked him.

"I can see I've got a lot of explaining to do" said Matt with a sigh.


	7. Plans

It made the news. Attack At Hospital Foiled By Not One, But TWO Heroes! Was the headline on the Daily Bugle. Foggy Nelson sat back in his chair and read the article with interest.

"Hey, guys! What do you make of this?" He called over to where Matt and Kyle were discussing Kyle's statement to the police.

"Here was me thinking that the Bugle editor hated superheroes" Kyle commented

"Some of us actually have jobs to do. The hearing is getting closer" Matt scolded then. Foggy looked hurt. Matt sighed.

"There's been a rumor going around that David Healy was involved in Barret's death. He's pushing for the trial to be brought forward" The blind lawyer explained.

"And the media's gone nuts. There were reporters hanging around my apartment this morning, and someone broke in last night" Added Kyle.

"That's harsh. Anyway, I thought the papers were more interested Bruce Wayne than you" Said Foggy.

"He's been, and I quote, 'unavailable for comment'. Whatever that means" Kyle shrugged.

"What about that break in?"

"I called my parole officer about it. They stole my DVD player, of all things!"

"I bet it'll turn up on e-bay. This once belonged to a man accused of murder. You know, if you get convicted it'll be worth a fortune!" Foggy joked.

"The Foggy Nelson get-rich-quick scheme. Become a lawyer to find all the murderers and sell their stuff over the internet" Matt came back. Kyle just laughed at them.

"Anyway, Kyle, I want to take a look at the courthouse a little later. They've been installing some new security systems and I want to make sure that the new dates don't clash with the workmen's schedule"

"Why not just call them?" Foggy asked.

"I could use a break. We've been at this all morning"

"Aha, you're going on a coffee run. Bring me back a latte"

"You not going?" Kyle asked as Matt stood up" Foggy shook his head.

"Nah, I'm gonna stick around here, there's a record I want to look up" Foggy typed a few things on his pc. "You know, they've got those airport style metal detectors. Matt and I were representing this one guy who left his cigarettes in his pocket and they kept setting off the alarm. It turns out that this genius kept his lighter in the packet" he said.

"I have been to the courthouse" said Kyle

"I know, but it's still a good story"

Kyle decided to go with Matt. He had only been to the court once, and that was for his preliminary hearing. It was still unfamiliar territory to him, and there was something else he wanted to talk to Matt about.

"What's on your mind?" Matt asked, making Kyle jump.

"How the hell do you do that?"

"I have my ways"

"This is that radar thing, right?" Matt smiled and nodded.

"There is something else. There was a picture taken as well, and the forensic team couldn't find any fingerprints. I want to agree with Foggy, that it's just someone after money, but with Major Force at large and what you told me about Bullseye I can't take that chance"

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Matt asked. Kyle shook his head.

-

Elsewhere, the man known as Major Force was fuming. He had been humiliated at the hospital. Bullseye had failed to eliminate Rayner and now he was going to pay. He had returned to his office to plan his next move and found Bullseye in his chair.

"This is the second time you've came in here and you are just as unwelcome this time. Why is Rayner still alive?"

"I am biding my time. I've got a patsy downstairs doing some legwork but other than that everything is on track as far as I'm concerned"

"What do you mean?" Force growled at him. A lesser man would have crumbled under such pressure. Bullseye just grinned like a maniac.

"Somebody doesn't check the papers. Old man Healy pushed Rayner's court date forward. I've always wanted to be on TV"

"What are you talking about?" Force sneered at the assassin

"Mr. Healy, our esteemed new Regional Governor, has requested that the trial of his opponent's murderer be brought forward. I intend to strike then, when they're least expecting it. I have a plan and I am putting the first part of it into action. You, on the other hand, have had your arse handed to you by the man you were supposed to have killed and his new friend. It's amazing what the tabloids will tell you" Bullseye explained as if talking to a small child.

"You have a plan. You, who assured me that Rayner would be out of the picture long before now. And you dare to come here and accuse me of failure? I should break every bone in your body"

"But you aren't going to, you want to know what I've got planned" Bullseye gambled. In spite of himself Force laughed.

"Last chance hitman. Rayner dies this time, or I kill him, you and that Daredevil character"

"Patience, big man. There are a few pieces I still need to get for my plan to work, But it should all be ready for the big day" Said Bullseye with a smile.

-

A flash of emerald light illuminated the Office of Nelson and Murdock. Foggy fell off his chair.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! You're Green Lantern!" Foggy squealed as John landed gracefully.

"I'm looking for Daredevil. This is where I found him last night, seemed as good a place as any to check first"

"Daredevil?" Foggy was clearly too stunned to make much sense.

"You work with Matt Murdock; I need you to see to it that he gets this. It has information on it about David Healy that might help Kyle" John handed Foggy a disc.

"David Healy? I've been investigating David Healy! I knew there was something going on with him! Do you mind if I look?" Asked Foggy.

"Go ahead, there's a lot of stuff there that you wouldn't have found" Foggy loaded the disc into his computer. He read the files. His face went pale.

"I've heard of cover ups but this is something else. How did you find this?"

"JLA Security clearance. Access all areas" said John.

"I have got to get me one of those. Look at this, the day Barret was killed Healy deposited a lot of money into an offshore account. Just an hour before it happened. This is gold! If I can trace the account to a source then I might be able to get enough reasonable doubt among the jury to get Kyle acquitted"

"You think you can find the assassin?" John asked

"Maybe not, but if I can prove that Healy paid off Barret's security like I thought then there's enough doubt on Kyle's part in it. All Matt needs to do then is convince the jury that Kyle was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and Bob's your uncle" said Foggy. John thought about this, and then he leaned over the pc and typed something in.

"Here, you can use my security clearance codes. You'll get a lot further"

"Well, in that case I'll need you to testify that you gave it to me. I can't risk being accused of getting this illegally"

"I'll testify, don't worry. But now I need to find Daredevil. I'll be in touch" With that Green Lantern left.


	8. Trial

Time played its tricks again. Kyle woke up on the morning of his trial and wondered how the hell he had gotten this far. The hordes of the media had turned his home into a no man's land. He had spent the past few nights crashing at the home of his friend Terry Berg. Terry's parents didn't believe that Kyle was guilty. He was grateful for that. Terry also looked a lot better these days. He still had a lot of scars from when he was attacked, and he still had to see a physiotherapist. But he had recovered much of his cheerful attitude.

"This is what you do," Terry was saying, "When you get up on the stand you get all tearful, look the Judge in the eye and you…"

"Terry, Matt's a professional. He knows what he's doing" Terry shook his head.

"I don't know, I try to help you and you'd rather listen to a lawyer"

"Of course, all lawyers are evil in your eyes"

"What? Are you saying that you have a lawyer with a soul?"

Kyle laughed at him as he poured out some orange juice. Terry picked up a small box.

"Anyway, you want to look smart in court. So I got you this" he handed it over. Kyle opened the box. He looked at what was inside. He looked at Terry. He looked back at the box. A stupid grin split his face in two. Both Kyle and Terry laughed till they couldn't breathe.

"If I wear that I'll be given the death penalty" Kyle gasped at last

"Aww, and I won't be there to see it!" Terry said

"Why, aren't you coming?"

"Nah, I've got physiotherapy today. I may be gone some time" One of Terry's new favorite pastimes was entertaining anyone who would listen with tales about his physiotherapist, an Amazonian built woman by the name of Yolanda, who he insisted had been born male.

Kyle only half listened as Terry told him the story. He knew it off by heart anyway. Something else was bugging him. Reporters were only part of the reason that Kyle had decided to stay with Terry. The rest of the reason was Bullseye. Since Matt had told him about the hitman he had mentally gone through everyone he knew who lived nearby. Most people were more than capable of looking after themselves but Terry had already been attacked and almost killed once. Kyle didn't think he could bear it if anything else happened. Terry grinned.

"Seriously, you won't need it if Matt is half as good as you say, but good luck. I'll try to get there if I can"

"Thanks Terry. That's all I needed to know"

-

A car was waiting outside. The man inside was watching the building. He picked up his phone.

"This is Gerrins, he's leaving now" Gerrins listened to the other speaker

"No, the kids not going with him"

Gerrins listened to the instructions that he was given.

-

It was a different courtroom than the one where Kyle's preliminary hearing had taken place. Kyle recognised Bruce Wayne watching, as well as Clark Kent, Wally West and several other JLA members incognito. He didn't recognize any faces on the jury, nut he hadn't expected to. Matt had told him about the selection process that the court used. He sat feeling awkward in a suit, between Matt and Foggy. Everyone stood as the Judge entered. She was a stately looking woman who looked to be in her fifties. Not at all what Kyle had been expecting. Had Matt mentioned her? Kyle thought about it; he had. This was Judge Sheridan, why had he not been paying attention? As he sat back down Kyle wondered if there was anything else he had missed. The Prosecution began his statement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, we are all aware that the late Mr. Edward Barret was a pillar of the community. His work for our community will be remembered for a very long time by many people in this and in many other cities. His murder was shocking and terrible. But we are here today to see to it that his murderer does not walk free. It is my intention to prove before you all, beyond any doubt that this man, Mr. Kyle Rayner, is responsible for this appalling crime and that he should be punished accordingly. I have evidence from the scene and eyewitness accounts that will show this to be true. Thank you" He sat down. Now it was Matt's turn

"Members of the Jury, we are here today because a crime has been committed, but it is not the crime that is being judged today. The untimely death of Mr. Barret and the implication of Mr. Rayner are all small parts of a bigger picture. It is my intention to bring this crime to light and to show to you all just how far the persons responsible are willing to go in order to pervert the cause of Justice"

"Objection, your Honour, Mr. Murdock is talking about conspiracy theories that have nothing to do with this trial" the Prosecution called out.

"I am not trying to make light of Mr. Barret's death. My partner and I have discovered evidence that suggests that Mr. Barret's security accepted a bribe prior to the assassination. This evidence has been submitted to the court and is available for inspection"

"Objection is duly noted. Mr. Murdock, you may continue" said Judge Sheridan.

"Thank you, your Honour. Kyle Rayner is guilty of no more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And based on nothing more than circumstantial evidence we have put the wrong man on trial" Matt said. A whisper went up from the jury members.

"Alright, I am calling for a short recess while the jury has a look at the evidence that the Defense has brought. We will reconvene shortly" said Judge Sheridan

-

There was a waiting area just outside the courthouse. Kyle had decided that he should probably stay nearby. He was on the third floor and could see the road clearly from the window. There were still a few reporters milling hopefully around but the majority had left pretty soon after everyone had arrived. By the looks of things there were a few TV crews filming in front of the courthouse. It was arrogant to think that they were all here because of him, who knew what other cases were being seen today? So far he had spoken to just about everyone from the JLA who had come to support him. What confused him was that John Stewart was in full Green Lantern uniform. He knew that Foggy had been babbling about getting a superhero to testify, and he had known that John was coming today yet it hadn't occurred to him to put the two together. Foggy had probably said 'Green Lantern' at some point but it was more than likely that Kyle had missed it. God alone knew that he had more than enough to worry about. Major Force had been far too quiet recently, and while Kyle didn't know much about how Bullseye worked he could see that Matt was uncomfortable with the relative quiet since the hospital incident.

-

On the courthouse steps a young news anchor told the cameraman about what she was calling 'The trial of the century'. Bullseye, who was lazing idly by an old car on the corner, wondered just how many trials of the century there were in any given decade. He wasn't wearing his mask today, but he wore a black woolen hat that covered his forehead where he had branded a target into the skin. At the moment the average passer by wouldn't suspect him of anything more suspicious than loitering. He was starting to get impatient. That flake Gerrins was taking his time.

-

The court reconvened. The look on Judge Sheridan's face was not a good one.

"I have reviewed the evidence that Mr. Murdock has submitted and I must say that these are very serious allegations. May I ask as to your source?" she said evenly. Foggy looked up from the papers he was arranging.

"If I may, your Honour, the evidence in question was obtained with the help of Green Lantern of the Justice League. I have asked him here to testify" Kyle glanced at John, then a Matt. He seemed agitated. Something had caught Matt's attention, something like the sound of glass breaking. Something was wrong.

"Very well, I'd like to begin with…" Judge Sheridan stopped suddenly and sagged backwards into her chair. A huge shard of broken glass stuck out of her throat at a hideous angle. A moment later a man in a government suit burst through the door, wielding a gun and dragging a hostage. Kyle jumped out of his chair. The man had Terry.

"All right! Nobody moves and our friend here doesn't get hurt!" he shouted just before an emerald green vice squeezed the barrel of the gun shut and he was lifted off the ground.

"You have got to be one of the stupidest people I have ever met" John said casually to the gunman as he lowered Terry to the ground. The event finally started to register in the minds of the people watching. Some people ran from the room, others stayed because they didn't know what else to do. Matt cornered Kyle.

"Bullseye was behind this. I don't know what his game is but it can't be good"

"Matt, he went after Terry!" Kyle looked pale

"I know, I think he did that to try to lure you out" Matt warned him

"Well it worked" Kyle pulled away and ran from the courthouse, chasing after the assassin.


	9. Error

Kyle was running blindly. He had no idea where the hitman had gone. If he had stopped to think he would have realised that this was probably the most stupid thing he had ever done in his life. But he wasn't thinking. It was pure dumb luck that nobody saw him dive out of the broken window. Outside was a different story. The camera crews that had stuck around later gave their networks incredible footage of an emerald green comet that burst from the courthouse like a bullet and transformed itself into Green Lantern before flying away. By the time the Police arrived at the crime scene Kyle Rayner was long gone.

-

The film crews didn't stick around long after that. They were all in a hurry to get their footage to the stations. If they had stayed a few minutes later they would have had the chance to film a scarlet clad vigilante with devil horns leap from the broken window and perch soundlessly on a ledge. He waited their for a few moments, as still as the statues that decorated the building, then he fired a grappling line which snagged onto the corner of the building and swung out in the direction that Green Lantern had gone.

-

Bullseye reached a quiet back alley, cursing that idiot Gerrins under his breath and swearing that only morons ever worked with others. He paused for a moment to get his bearings. That was when he caught sight of the man wearing form fitting purple and orange. He made a 'follow me' gesture, then soundlessly slipped into a building. Furious that someone could act that way towards him, Bullseye chased after him, stopping by a pot plant to pick something up.

-

Back at the courthouse Foggy was getting very worried. First the Judge had been murdered, and then both Kyle and Matt disappeared. Everyone had been moved out into the waiting area until they could be interviewed by the police, who had just arrived and had begun asking around to find out who the people who had left had been. How long would it take for them to realise that the defendant and his lawyer were missing? It didn't look good. Foggy watched as Green Lantern handed the gunman over to the police.

"In all likelihood there was an accomplice involved. This guy had a hostage in one hand and a gun in the other. How could he have thrown the glass like that?" he heard the costumed superhero saying to an officer. Foggy sat back in his chair and wished that he had a cup of coffee or something. He was shaking when an officer came over to see him.

"Mr. Nelson? I'm Detective Valdez. I need to ask you a few questions" said a Hispanic man with a small beard who flashed a badge. Foggy felt his throat dry up. He was going to ask about Matt and Kyle. He stood up to shake his hand, trying to act as natural as possible.

"We haven't been able to find your partner or your client. Any thoughts about that?" Valdez asked in a friendly manner.

"Uh, yeah, when the attack happened Mr. Murdock assumed that it was an attack on our client. As you know Mr. Barret was a well loved member of the community and some people took the news of his death very badly. Matt thought it would be for the best to get Mr. Rayner out of harms way" Foggy was a lawyer, and he had lost track of the number of times he had covered for Matt failing to show up. The words came naturally to him.

"Mr. Murdock? I thought he was blind?" said Valdez

"I don't mean to sound rude detective, but do you actually know any blind people?"

"Point taken. I'm going to need you to get in touch with Mr. Murdock. My people will want to talk to him and Mr. Rayner"

"Err, that may take a while. Matt thinks its best that when he does move a client like this that as few people know where they have gone as possible. For the client's protection, you understand" Foggy hoped he would buy it. Valdez looked like the type who, as a child, would only believe in Santa Claus after finding an old man in the house on Christmas Eve and had thoroughly yanked at the beard to make sure it stayed on. The detective gave him a suspect look

"I can assure you that no matter what, Kyle Rayner will be under the supervision of Matthew Murdock at all times. You have my word on that" Foggy pressed on. Valdez was blank. Foggy couldn't tell if he believed him or was about to arrest him.

"Try to contact your partner, Mr. Nelson, but don't go too far. I still have some questions for you" said Valdez. Foggy waited until he was deep into another conversation before collapsing heavily into his chair

-

Major Force led Bullseye to the roof of the building. Once there he stood with his hands behind his back and waited for the assassin to make the first move. Bullseye stood and glared at the back of his head until impatience got the better of him.

"What is this all about?" he demanded

"Your 'perfect' plan. Not quite what I was expecting" said Major Force calmly

"Don't blame me because your man screwed up. I assumed you had hiring standards." Bullseye spat at the larger man. Force smirked slightly but kept his back to Bullseye

"And here I thought you were doing such a good job of weeding out the unworthy. Don't tell me you missed one" he mocked, still refusing to face the hitman. Bullseye snarled like a caged animal.

"Can it be the great Bullseye made a mistake?" Force taunted as he finally turned to face the other man. "You were hired to kill one man and you failed. It was a mistake to let you walk out of my office the first time we met. I should have killed you then and there and saved myself all this trouble"

"As I remember it, it was your idea to work together. All I did was the job I was hired to do. I was paid for Barret. I was told to see you. Don't you dare act like this is my fault!" Bullseye screamed in rage

"I know all about your deal with Healy. The old fool couldn't take the fact that he had lost so he got involved with the likes of you. Well, I'm sure that he will be interested to know that I prepared a file on him, just in case anything went wrong" Force smiled his deadly smile. Bullseye's eye narrowed

-

Daredevil knew he didn't have a hope of catching up with Kyle while he was using his Green Lantern powers. He could tell exactly where he was from the distinctive anti-sound that the emerald energy made, visible only to his hyper senses. Matt had paused on a rooftop to judge the distance between himself and Green Lantern in case he could find another way around or cut the distance between them when he heard Bullseye's voice shouting at another who he did not recognize. He heard the other man talk about files connecting Bullseye to Barret's murder and to Governor Healy. If they matched Foggy's paper trail then that would be all the evidence he would need to clear Kyle. The man without fear decided that while he couldn't catch up to Green Lantern, this could be just the break he had been looking for. He followed the voices to their source.

-

Kyle had finally calmed down enough to think clearly. The first thing that he realised was just how stupid he had been. He had just taken off without even trying to come up with some idea of what he was going to do. And he had probably hurt his case in the process. He also knew practically nothing about Bullseye. It was too late to go back now; his absence would have definitely been noticed by now. Kyle didn't even know which way the hitman had gone. This was stupid. Kyle made his decision. Matt would have gone after him, so the best thing he could do now would be to find Matt and pray that they could work out something to clear up this whole mess.

-

Major Force watched as Bullseye tried to keep a hold of his rage. It was clear that he was sizing the larger man up, judging his chances. It was almost funny; the hitman actually thought he could take him on in a fight. Did he think he could win?

"You know, you're right Force, working with you was a mistake. People like you are all talk. I should've known that the Daredevil would be too much for the likes of you. What did you do? You beat up a reporter and then qualified for the award for Stupidest Supervillain Attack Ever with that little hospital stunt. At least I've got the guts to admit I screwed up, you're still acting like that were all part of a higher plan" Bullseye taunted. Major Force's smile grew somewhat fixed. Bullseye's own grin widened to the point where it threatened to split his face in two.

"Home truth time. You should've let Rayner go to prison…" Bullseye never finished that sentence. The Major had seized him by the throat and had lifted him off the ground. His smile never flickered.

"You were saying?" he asked

"About bloody time" Bullseye grunted as he threw the handful of gravel that he had been hiding since he had entered the building. Force didn't have time to blink before the tiny stones battered his eyes. He threw the smaller man away and rubbed at his eyes.

"And about those files, I'm sure I'll find 'em. Your security isn't exactly the most imaginative lot I've ever met"

Major Force rose to his feet like a behemoth. He wasn't smiling now. Bullseye's grin was insane. It was like pouring oil on a raging fire. Major Force charged at him in blind fury

"Toro, Toro!" Bullseye jeered as Force came close. He ducked out of the way of the charge but wasn't fast enough to avoid the punch Force had thrown. It caught the assassin underneath the chin and lifted him off his feet. Bullseye bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he landed. He laughed manically.

"Oh, so now we're getting violent, are we?" he cackled. Major Force roared and pounced like a lion at the smirking hitman. Bullseye pulled a tiny knife from his belt, identical to the one he had used to kill Barret, and threw it with infallible aim at the Major's open mouth. It hit in the back of his throat. Major Force collapsed to the ground and retched.

"Now, the way I figure it, you're indestructible on the outside but what about on the inside? Well worth a try, don't you think?" Bullseye laughed as he patted the larger man on the back. Force tried to rasp a few words but the knife had stuck in too deep.

"What was that?" Bullseye teased as Force fell forward.

"Too bad. You had a sense of humor; I always appreciate that in a person". As Bullseye turned to leave an emerald green flash appeared in front of him.

"I take it you're Bullseye, not quite what I was expecting" said Green Lantern

"And you would be the retired Green Lantern. I like the black guy who took over better. I like how he doesn't bother with masks. It makes life that much easier for people like me" said Bullseye conversationally.

"I'll be sure to let him know" Green Lantern matched his conversational tone. Bullseye grinned. Here was someone new to play with.

"And if you're after the good Major I'm afraid that you are a little late" He gestured to the prone figure behind him.

"Don't be too sure, this wouldn't be the first time he's played dead"

"Hey, when I kill someone they stay dead". The Lantern's expression was unreadable. Bullseye reflected on those stupid gravity defying masks. Bizarrely enough they actually did work for some people. Probably not if you knew the person but on a complete stranger it was possible.

"It was you who murdered Barret" said the hero.

"So you're a smart one, eh? Yeah, that was me. Not my finest work but I'm always proud of a job well done"

"Why do it? Why kill him?"

"Mercenary. I'll do any job I'm paid to do" said Bullseye, pointing to his chest. His other hand reached his belt and drew another knife. He aimed for the mask, wondering if it would knock it off or not. The knife flew the air before it hit an emerald green shield and fell to the ground. A tendril of green light snaked out and snatched the blade form the ground.

"Thanks for that, I'm sure the police will be interested in it. It looks just like the one that was used to kill Mr. Barret" said Green Lantern.

"You tricked me. I didn't think you JLA types went in for that kind of thing" said Bullseye calmly as he reached into the folds of his coat. Kyle was ready for him. He reconstructed the shield as the assassin threw another three of his knives. Once they were deflected he created a straightjacket around Bullseye's arms, pinning them to his sides. As an afterthought he made a gag around the man's mouth. Green Lantern looked around for the body of Major Force, only to find that he was gone.


	10. Justice

Daredevil reached the roof top just as Green Lantern restrained Bullseye. Major Force was gone and the after effect of the emerald energy interfered with his radar so that he couldn't tell where the man had gone. He heard Bullseye grunt as he approached, giving definite sounds that he could navigate by.

"What were you thinking? Taking off like that could seriously harm the case!" said Daredevil, choosing his words carefully to avoid letting Bullseye know too much and praying that Kyle would do the same.

"DD, I've caught the guy who murdered Barret and he had these" He held up the knives using the rings energy, "They're the same as the one he used. That has to count for something!"

"It does, and those files I heard the Major talking about. You need to get back to the courthouse, now. Stick with Foggy; he knows how to handle things like this. I have a few things I need to take care of. I'll get back as soon as I can" said Matt.

"I've got a better idea" said Kyle

-

First they took Bullseye and his knives to the police station. As Green Lantern Kyle could fly very fast. It didn't take long to deliver the assassin and to explain what had happened on the rooftop. Kyle took him in. Green Lantern had a better public image that the supposedly urban legend that was Daredevil. After that it was straight to the courthouse.

-

Valdez was definitely getting suspicious. He kept coming over to ask Foggy if he was any closer to finding Matt and Kyle. Foggy kept coming up with some excuse or other as to why he hadn't yet and he was afraid that he was starting to run out of things to say. He saw Valdez coming back and felt his stomach sink.

"Mr. Nelson, any word yet?" the detective asked.

"Well, you see… Mr. Rayner is just over there" relief flooded through Foggy's system as he spotted Kyle trying to sneak in through a side door. Valdez wheeled on him like an eagle circling its prey.

"Mr. Rayner, I hope you have a good excuse as to why you haven't been around for me to question?" he said

"Err, yeah. About that, you see, I kinda freaked and took off when the judge was killed. Matt came after me to try to talk some sense into me" Kyle tried to explain. It was impossible to tell what Valdez was thinking.

"And where is Mr. Murdock?" he asked.

"Mr. Murdock is right here. I'm very sorry about the wait but Mr. Rayner has been under a considerable amount of stress during the course of events. I'm afraid that the incident here was just too much" said Matt, slipping effortlessly into lawyer mode. While he kept the detective busy Kyle slipped off to find Bruce Wayne and John Steward

-

John approached Detective Valdez just as he was finishing up questioning Matt.

"It's came to my attention that some crucial evidence was stolen from the court in the confusion. I'm going to try to track it down" he said in a businesslike tone of voice. Valdez nodded to him

"Whatever you need" said the detective. Then he approached Kyle.

"Now, can we please get this finished?" he asked.

"Sure thing" said Kyle, glancing over to where Matt and Foggy were discussing something. Was it just Kyle's imagination or did Matt nod slightly in his direction?

-

John already knew where Major Force ran most of his operations. He had run every kind of surveillance he could think of on the man ever since the hospital incident. He found the office easily and used his JLA security clearance to gain access. After that it was just a matter of searching everywhere to find those files that Kyle had told him about. John knew only too well what Major Force was capable of. He didn't want to spend any longer here than was necessary, but if those files were even one tenth as good as what Kyle had described then they were all the evidence that they needed to prove Kyle's innocence.

-

What John didn't know was that there was a hidden CCTV camera watching the office. He didn't know that at this very moment he was being watched from another office, very similar to the one he was in.

"He'll find the Healy file. We have to do something" said a man in a government suit to another man who sat in a large leather chair. The man in the chair smiled a razor sharp smile

"Tell me something, what's the worst that could happen, should that come to pass?" he said as he sat back and watched Green Lantern on the monitor.

"Major Force! Governor Healy is one of our biggest supporters. If we lose the funding he provides…"

"David Healy is a coward and a liar. It's because of him that I got saddled with that idiot Bullseye" Force spat. His throat still hurt where Bullseye's knife had hit. The man was good, there was no doubting that, but Bullseye had proved to be far too unstable to be of any use.

"So you're prepared to send Healy to jail over the mess that the assassin got us into?" said the man. Just another nondescript face in a nondescript suit. Major Force wondered idly how many of those he had came across during his career.

"Healy has already shown us the lengths he's willing to go to in order to get what he wants. I'm not sure that he's the type of person who should be in a position of responsibility" said Major Force. On the screen Green Lantern had found the Healy file. He took a moment to look through it. The suit tried again

"That file proves that Healy hired Bullseye to take out Barret and that he bribed Barret's security into letting it happen. If he takes it to the authorities then all the charges against Rayner will be dropped! Is that what you want?"

"There are other ways to get to Rayner. Bullseye is in jail where he belongs and I am tired of the whole affair. I'm prepared to let Healy take the fall for this. I have other plans" The two men watched as Green Lantern left with the evidence that would prove Kyle Rayner's innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt. Force nodded to himself as he left. He had lots of other plans.


End file.
